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My Best Chili

Featured Recipes· Recipe Index· Savory Dishes· Soup & Chili

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This recipe for My Best Chili is a major favorite around here! It’s a hearty, warming chili made with ground beef, bacon, sausage, and just the right amount of kick.

This recipe for My Best Chili is a major favorite around here! It's a hearty, warming chili made with ground beef, bacon, sausage, and just the right amount of kick.

I bet you’re guessing you’re on the wrong website right now…right?? 😁 Chili is not usually the typical fare that you see around here…but, little known to most, lurking in the back of my recipe archives, are a couple savory recipes lurking around, just waiting to be discovered and devoured by you.

I posted the recipe for my “best chili” way back in December of 2010, only a couple of months after Bakerita was founded. I shared more savory recipes back then, and because I was a new blogger, my pictures could only be described as terrible.

This recipe for My Best Chili is a major favorite around here! It's a hearty, warming chili made with ground beef, bacon, sausage, and just the right amount of kick.

I’ve made this recipe so many times over the years, and I’ve heard from some of you who it’s become a staple for as well. Since we’re heading firmly into cold soup territory where the weather is concerned, I decided to was time to finally update the photos, and give you a taste of one of my savory favorites.

Chili is one of my favorite cold weather foods – it’s thick and hearty, and seriously soul-warming. I always go for a sprinkle of cheese on top, too, and you could add a little sour cream and/or avocado if that’s your thing. Oooh…or serve it with cornbread, which makes pretty much the perfect meal for any chilly day, especially game day!

This recipe for My Best Chili is a major favorite around here! It's a hearty, warming chili made with ground beef, bacon, sausage, and just the right amount of kick.

My overzealous, newly blogging self named this the “best” chili, but I know how subjective that is based on the person. So I’m calling it my best chili, because for me it’s perfect…but we all have different tastes. Like…I’m a bit of a spice wimp, so be sure to jack up the amount of chili powder if you want a lot of kick.

HOWEVER, my best is apparently the same as the best for a lot of you, because this recipe gets RAVE reviews. You guys have won chili cook-offs with it, had your chili-hating kids love it, and made XL batches to keep in the freezer all winter long. Just scroll through the comments to see how many people love this one.

And why it’s so dang good? This BEST chili is tomato-based with ground beef, crumbled Italian sausage, and it’s got BACON! It’s also loaded pinto and black beans, and a whole load of spices. It’s flavorful, warming, easy, and delicious. The best kind of meal, right?

This recipe for My Best Chili is a major favorite around here! It's a hearty, warming chili made with ground beef, bacon, sausage, and just the right amount of kick.

I always try to let this cook for as long as I can. It can be done in about 2 hours, but with chili, I always think that low and slow is the way to go to get a thick, flavorful chili. It’s great the day of, and I think the leftovers are even better because it gives a little time for the flavors to meld and get even more bold.

I hope my favorite, best chili recipe will be loved by you and help warm your soul a bit in this cooler weather! Enjoy :)

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This recipe for My Best Chili is a major favorite around here! It's a hearty, warming chili made with ground beef, bacon, sausage, and just the right amount of kick.
4.98 from 41 votes
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My Best Chili

Course Soup
Cuisine American
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Servings 8 servings
Author Rachel Conners

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds ground beef I used leaner beef with 5% fat
  • 1 pound bulk Italian sausage mild, casings removed
  • ½ pound bacon
  • 2 (15 oz) cans kidney beans, drained
  • 1 (15 oz) can pinto beans, drained
  • 1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained
  • 2 (28 oz) cans diced tomatoes with juice
  • 1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
  • 1 large yellow onion chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper seeded and chopped
  • 2 cups beef stock see Notes
  • 3 tablespoons chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce make sure to find gluten-free if necessary, or leave it out
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon paprika

Instructions

  1. Heat a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Crumble the ground chuck and sausage into the hot pan, and cook until evenly browned. Drain off excess grease.
  2. In a different pan, cook the bacon until crispy. Crumble and add to stock pot. Cook the chopped onion and pepper in the bacon drippings for about 5 minutes or until onions are translucent. Add to the stock pot.
  3. To the stock pot, add in the drained beans, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and beef stock. Season with chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, oregano, cumin, basil, salt, pepper, and paprika. Stir to blend, then cover and simmer over low heat for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
  4. After 2 hours, taste, and adjust salt, pepper, and chili powder if necessary. The longer the chili simmers, the better it will taste.
  5. Remove from heat and serve, or refrigerate, and serve the next day. Serve with cheese, onions, sour cream, or whatever chili toppings you prefer!

Recipe Notes

I used to use 1 cup of beer and 1 cup of concentrated beef stock (water + 4 boullion cubes), but now I use all beef stock to keep it gluten-free. Use the beer if gluten doesn't matter to you!

 

This recipe for My Best Chili is a major favorite around here! It's a hearty, warming chili made with ground beef, bacon, sausage, and just the right amount of kick.

Want more chili?!

If you don’t like beans or just want a beanless chili recipe, try my PALEO CHILI! Paleo Chili Recipe - Whole30

If you’re looking for a vegan chili recipe, try my WHITE BEAN VEGAN CHILI!
White Bean Vegan Chili


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Comments

  2. Rachel, I made your chili today. It IS the best! We love it.

    Your website is fabulous. I plan to try more recipes.

    Reply

  5. Isn’t it amazing to see how far our photography has come over the years??? Crazy! It always blows my mind. ANYWAY! I love chili during the cooler weather and this sounds fantastic!

    Reply

    • Haha it always makes me cringe to see my earliest photos, but I can’t delete them entirely because I’m nostalgic about them! So funny. Thanks so much, Ashley :)

      Reply

  6. I’ve got my scarf on and I’m ready for cold weather comfort food like this! I’ve never had bacon in chili before. This is something. I need to experience!

    Reply

  9. My husband would LOVE this. Believe it or not, I’ve never made chili. I really need to make him one hahaha. I guess it just never really appealed to me even though I am a total carnivore and like everything in it (love beans too!). I’m just weird, I guess. Anyway, yours looks fabulous. Sharing!

    Reply

    • You need to make chili!! It’s so good and when you make it yourself, you can totally customize the spices to your preferences. Thanks so much, Natasha.

      Reply

        • What do you mean? The recipe is in the post, about halfway down the page, above the comments. The recipe would not be on Pinterest.

          Reply

          • I had the same problem. The Recipe IS on Pinterest, that’s where I found it. But when you click visit it takes you to the comments and you have to scroll ALL the way up to see the recipe. In case anyone else is having trouble that’s how I found it :)

          • Hi April – thanks for sharing this. Sometimes people will pin after they leave a comment, and when that happens the URL adds a little tag that will take people who use that URL (via pinterest) right to the comment. Glad you figured it out! :)

  11. This recipe was a hit! We have a chili cook off every year at our church Halloween party, I only made the dish to be sure we had enough chili for all who came, I wasn’t really competing but I won the cook off! Well, your recipe won. There were about 20 entries, and some of the contestants have been competing for years! I told everyone I follow a recipe very well hehe. Thank you for sharing your talent! This is a recipe that will go into my regular cold weather rotation. And I’ll add your hashtag to my pic of the trophy on facebook.

    Reply

    • Wow!!! That makes me so happy to hear, Jessica :) thanks so much for taking the time to let me know. It’s been a favorite of mine for years, so I’m happy to hear others appreciate it too. Can’t wait to see the trophy pic!

      Reply

  12. Made this last night! It was amazing! I usually used a chili mix but decided to try something new. My hubby loves my chili but he really love this recipe! Thanks for sharing I will use you recipe from now own!!!! This one is a keeper!!!

    Reply

    • Good idea, Britt! I’ve never made it that way, but you definitely can. I would cook the bacon and brown all the meat and then add them into the slow cooker with all the rest of the ingredients. Cook on high for about 4 hours, or low for 6-8 hours. If you try making it in the slow cooker, I’d love to hear how it goes! Enjoy :)

      Reply

  15. I made this for a chili cook-off AND WON! Thank you. I would certainly recommend using “Better than bullion” for the beef stock. I also used red chili pepper from India which gave it quite a bit of heat, but not over bearing.

    Reply

  16. Oh…my…goodness. This chili is delicious! So many layers of amazing flavors. A few personal edits: I used hot sausage rather than mild, 1 can of IPA beer with the 1 cup of beef stock, and I added approx. 8oz of tomato sauce. I’ve always loathed making chili because I never succeeded in making it exciting, but I can’t wait to share with our guests were hosting tomorrow! You ROCK, Rachel!! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU

    Reply

    • SO happy to hear you love it, Katie! Your changes sound delicious, and I’m so glad you’re excited to serve it. I hope all your guests love it as well! You are so very welcome.

      Reply

  17. YUM!!! made this last night and it was truly amazing! the meat combo makes it so flavorful. i served it with grated cheddar cheese and garlic toast. i didn’t have a good chili recipe in my box yet, so this one is here to stay!! hubby loved it too :)

    Reply

    • I’m so happy to hear that you and your husband loved this chili recipe, Michelle! It’s my favorite :) sounds delicious with the cheddar and garlic toast, too. Thanks so much for taking the time to share your feedback!

      Reply

  18. This was the best chili I’ve ever had! It was my first time making any sort of chili, and it was delicious! My husband is a huge chili fan, and he said it was the best HE’D ever had!

    I’m adding it to the meal list this week! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  19. This is the chili recipe I’ve been searching for! My husband is very particular about chili, so I’ve been trying to find a go-to recipe for the future. I made a variation of this last night (I had to sub / exclude a few ingredients based on what I had), and it definitely did not disappoint. I think your claim of “Best” chili is spot-on. ;) Thank you for sharing!

    Reply

  20. I think I may have just screwed this up. I just made it so it’s simmering. However, I was following the recipe for the beef cubes and added a cup of water per cube! So I put in 4 cups of that. Is there anything I could add or maybe pull out the water, so as not to destroy the recipe?

    Reply

  21. Made Best chili recipe today for the game, we enjoy more “heat” so added red pepper flakes, amped up the chili seasoning and added Pleasoning Bloody Mary seasoning!! Cornbread on the side of course!! Oh and crockpot for the game this afternoon, delish!!

    Reply

  22. I love chili but mine never turns out very good. Tried this recipe Sunday. Really delicious! Definitely will be the only way I make it from now on! Thank you for sharing!

    Reply

  23. Hi! The recipe seems pretty delicious, but I don’t know if I messed up :( so…. I used the chili powder but it was from India, full 3 TABLESPOONS, and wow! It waaaayyy spicy, delicious, but not eatable… My question Rachel… Do you use like ready made “chili” as for the stew ready made (like taco mix) product or raw chili? In the case I can use the raw chili, maybe it should have been 3 Teaspoon instead? Help please! :) thanks!

    Reply

    • Hi Lau – I used a chili powder that’s from the bottle, not a packet, but it’s not pure powder from a chili pepper, it’s more of a spice blend. That’s what is generally referred to as chili powder here. A true chili powder (like cayenne powder, or what you used) would definitely make it much too spicy for my tastes at least. In my Paleo version, I only used 3/4 teaspoon of cayenne powder. That definitely seems to be the difference. Sorry for not specifying – I would start with about 3/4 teaspoon of your chili powder and add more to taste depending on how spicy you like it. Hope this helps! You also may want to refer to my Paleo Chili recipe and use the spices listed there instead, so you get all the flavor. Let me know if you have any other questions.

      Reply

  27. Oh my! I don’t do comments, but this time I can’t resist. This chili is going to haunt me in my dreams! I made it yesterday and made a point of following the recipe carefully (not my strong suit) and today we dived into this delicious meal. Loved it. Hubby to be went for seconds and well, I did too actually. I’m on a diet and you’re definitely not helping. O well, we all need to eat, right! I plan to make a huge batch for our family get-together next week, just to show off a bit.

    Thanks for sharing your recipe! Greatings, all the way from the Netherlands :)

    Reply

  29. This is probably going to sound like such a noob question, but where do you get bulk Italian sausage? Is this link sausage you have to cut up?

    Reply

  30. Made this and it was excellent. I made some modifications based on ingredients on hand and added more cayenne to my taste, but great base recipe.

    Reply


  34. I didn’t use your recipe, just took a look and compared it to the one I’ve developed over 30 years of making chili…pretty darned close! I’ll be trying that basil thing, never thought of that. I wanted to suggest something that I found made a big difference in flavor. When I cook the meat, and the fat renders, heat the pot and tilt it, shoving all the meat to one side as much as possible and letting the liquid pool on one side. Remove the liquid (I use a metal basting bulb; I’ve also used a spoon) and put it in a smooth-sided mug or a pyrex measuring cup. Put it in the freezer. After half an hour, you can peel off the congealed fat from the top and discard it. What’s left is concentrated flavor: meat gelatin, spices, browning, and just goodness. Add that back in, and it gives the chili an extra dose of richness. Been doing this about ten years now, and we can tell the difference. Try it!

    Reply

    • Wow, such a compliment to hear that from such a seasoned chili chef! :) That does sound like an amazing trick – I’ll definitely be giving that one a try next time I make this recipe. Thanks for your words of wisdom, Lew!

      Reply


  36. I love this chili and it isn’t even done yet! I followed the directions all the way through except for the beer directions. I don’t drink but love cooking with it so I had a guy pick out a good bottle of beer I could add to it. He picked out a bourbon aged stout beer and I added the whole bottle with enough water to measure the 2 cups. I then added 3 teaspoons of beef base. I also added a couple of squares of very dark chocolate to the mixture. It’s only cooked for an hour and it’s already amazing! This might turn out to be my very favorite chili! Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply


  37. Oh. My. Goodness! First time making home made chili. We basically followed this to a T, we just cooked the meat and veggies first and put all remaining ingredients in the crockpot instead of stock pot (we didn’t have one large enough), and we used *jalapeno bacon* from the meat department instead of normal bacon. SO YUMMY! Thank you for the recipe!

    Reply


  38. I made this in a crockpot last year abd brought it to work one snowy day now im k.own as chilli mamma. And asked to do it every time it snows. Its our confort food. Thank you.

    Reply

    • So thrilled to hear it’s become a tradition for you, what a lucky group of coworkers you have! Thanks so much for your feedback, I’m so happy to hear you love it.

      Reply


  39. Wondering your thoughts on making this ahead of time and freezing it? Thinking of freezing it for our upcoming ski trip!

    Reply

  40. If you want to leave out the beans do you still use the same amount of diced tomatoes and beef stock? I like them in but my husband only eats his chili the all meat way

    Reply


  41. This recipe is the bomb! I cooked this for the family on last night and they enjoyed it. I did have to make some adjustments with the spices but not much!

    Reply

  45. This was AMAZING! My husband and I are the usual chili lovers in the house, but BOTH my teenagers absolutely LOVE IT!!! I will be making this again!!! Thank you!!!!

    Reply


  46. I was looking for something different from my regular chili recipe. This was a really nice change. I used apple wood smoked bacon from our butcher and smoked paprika (along with all your other ingredients), it gave it a nice smoky touch . I made this yesterday and after browning the meats and sautéing the veggies, I put mine in the crock pot and let it cook on low for the afternoon. I really enjoyed it – this has just kicked my regular (boring) chili’s butt!! Thanks for sharing!!

    Reply


  47. I very, very rarely make supper, as my wife does the majority of the cooking. I made this chili tonight and blew her mind! She loved it, the kids loved it — so good! Thank you for sharing.

    Reply

  48. About how many beans are required for this recipe? My can of black beans had 145 beans but my can of pinto only had 124 beans. Can I use whole tomatoes and dice them myself or do I have to use cans of diced tomatoes? The recipe calls for 1 cup beer but I accidentally drank the beer and mistakenly put 1 cup vodka into the sauce. Do you think this will make a difference?

    Reply

  49. Wow, this chili was excellent! My new go to for sure. I did use the beer/broth combo. The only thing I added was a whole jalapeño while cooking. Everything else’s was by the recipe. The sour cream and cheese was perfect for a little more added flavor. Also very good with out! Thanks again for the recipe!!!

    Reply


  50. Made this last weekend, turned out GREAT! Did not use the bacon, as I did not have any at the time. Great basic chili recipe! Thanks!

    Reply


  51. Thanks for this recipe! It’s now MY best chilli, too! It has the perfect amount of kick! I made four batches of it for my birthday party and I fed about 60 people. I had a full-on chilli bar with a large selection of toppings to make it more fun and stretch the chilli even farther. And buns. I’ll be making this again en masse!

    Reply

    • How fun to have a chili bar for your birthday – awesome idea! So thrilled to hear that you’re loving it, Heather :) thanks so much for your feedback!

      Reply

    • Hi Roxie, I don’t have the measurement amount per serving written down anywhere…that’s just how many servings we got out of it. Sorry!

      Reply

  53. There are gluten free beers Angry Orchard is just one of several choices have a sister in-law who has to have gluten free stuff, so she is not left out of being able to enjoy what everyone else is having I always turn things gluten free

    Reply


  54. I did this. Fresh basil and oregano instead of dried. Half jar of Arribiata from Trader Joe’s instead of fresh/canned tomatoes and paste. Extra cup water and extra chili powder. No bacon or italian sausage, so I used roast beef in addition to ground beef. Black instead of pinto. I DID add brown sugar AND the two squirts of Sriracha annndd it’s amazing.

    Reply


  55. Just made this today and I’m eating now! This chili is amazing!! Thank you so much for this! Would you mind if I share it during one of my YouTube videos? I will give you full credit

    Reply

    • Thanks so much, Malia! Glad you’re enjoying it. Sure, you can share the chili please just don’t repost the recipe or anything, and give a link back to my site in the description.

      Reply

    • Yes, definitely! I would just follow the first two steps according to the recipe, and then combine that and the rest of the ingredients in a crock pot to finish cooking for 6-8 hours (or quicker if you’re doing it on high). Enjoy!

      Reply


  58. I made this the other night and it was amazing. I had to change it a bit because I didn’t have some of the ingredients. I know it’s not fair to do a review when you change the recipe BUT I cannot imagine how it would have turned out if I had ALL the ingredients. Didn’t have any sausage or bacon and only had pinto and great northern beans. IT WAS STILL AWESOME! My husband loved it so much that he ate it like regular chili with corn bread and he put it into burritos and ate it mexican style and also tried it over noodles. He told me “I think I’ll try it over cereal tonight…no just kidding!” He said this was the best chili he’s had. Thank you for such a great recipe and I look forward to trying it with the sausage and bacon.

    Reply

    • So thrilled to hear that you and your husband loved it, and I hope you guys love it even more with the sausage and bacon! :) Thanks so much for sharing your feedback, Lin.

      Reply

  59. This recipe sounds wonderful but i was just wondering if i could make the chili without all the beans. If I just use kidney beans, how many cans do i need? We are having a chili cook-off at work and i would really like to bring this in.

    Reply


  60. Loved, Loved, Loved this recipe!!! Its definitely my favorite! Because I’m such a smoked paprika fan, I added an equal amount (1 TB) to the recipe. My Dad said he needed a scraper for his bowl…definitely a compliment! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply


  63. This has become my family’s favorite chii! Ive won cook offs with it, and its just perfect for a chilly night (pun intended!).

    Reply

  65. Finally got some cooler weather here in the south and I am eager to try out this recipe tonight! Just curious if you have ever tried this in an Instant Pot? If so, how and did it taste any different?

    Reply

    • Hi Christie, I haven’t tried it in the Instant Pot so I can’t comment on taste. As for how to do it though, you’d want to use the saute function and follow the first two steps, and then add everything in and set it to cook at high pressure. I’m not sure exactly how long it would be for, but I’m guessing around 20 minutes would do the trick! Hope this helps :)

      Reply


  66. Absolutely delicious recipe!! Followed it to the t and it was perfect. We had leftovers and for dinner the next day made chili cheese burgers definitely making again soon.

    Reply


  67. Just made this chili and it came out great! I didn’t have black beans or bell pepper so left those out and opted for a can of Rotel instead of diced tomatoes. Also added a tablespoon of ACV for a little acid. Loved it!

    Reply


  69. This is my first time making chili and I used your recipe….It was so good, my family loved it!! I made the chili and served it over rice with corn bread. It was delicious. Thank you for sharing your recipe with us!

    Reply

  70. i have never made chili ever and decided to try this recipe. I made it and won my church chili cook off!!! There were some really good chili’s too, and I won! Thank you!!!

    Reply


  71. AMAZING! My husband has agreed that I can make this in lieu of his mother’s recipe! WHAT…shut the front door, it is that good and very flavorful!

    Reply

  72. All I can say is ….. WOW! I just made it yesterday for a family of 6 with 4 really picky kids. To a person it was well loved and some even had seconds! Great recipe and thank you for sharing!

    Reply


  73. Just tried this for New Years Eve!
    Great recipe and ingredients. Admittedly I am a chili snob (think mine is the best). But I tried this and WOW!
    This is great! I’ll be sharing it and using it moving forward. Great job!

    Reply


  74. Certainly was a winning recipe at our church’s chili cook-off. Made a few modifications:
    – Sub chili peppers for red pepper. (about 4 small peppers)
    – Add 2 tbsp molasses
    – Add 1 teaspoon sugar
    – Add 1 tbsp taco seasoning

    Reply


  75. I just made this tonight, exactly as the recipe describes (including a cup of gluten-free beer) and it was DELICIOUS! I think this might be the best chili I’ve ever had, and certainly the best I’ve ever made! And we even get tons of leftovers out of it. I’ll definitely be making this one again!

    Reply


  76. I am a bit of a chili “snob” and I have already made your chili twice, both times for guests and both times to stellar
    reviews! It is so good, a definite keeper!!
    Thank you,
    Ellen

    Reply


  77. Won Second place at a local chili cook-off last year with this recipe. This years chili cook-off is Saturday! I will be smoking all the meat this time and letting the whole mixture simmer in the smoker for an hour or two to give it a little smoke flavor. We will see what happens this year!

    Reply


  78. I made this for guests we had for the weekend – 3 wonderful couples! I had it with a charcuterie board and it was awesome! I did make a few edits such as adding a dark Modelo beer, using rotell tomatoes with green chili’s and 1 tablespoon of pure cocoa powder (like you use for baking). I served it with apple strudel for a savory sweet combo! It is amazing!! So much depth and very smooth…your recipe is my go to now and I am having fun making it “my own”! Thank you!!!

    Reply


  79. Served it for a group of 8 adults. Made it my own by adding a whole dark beer, only beef but used 3 and 1/2 pounds, 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder (like you use for baking) and used 2 cans rotell tomatoes as a substitute for one of the cans of diced tomatoes. Amazing! Thank you for this awesome recipe!!

    Reply


  80. You were not joking when you said this recipe has helped others win awards. It was my first time making chili for a work contest and I won first place. Thanks for sharing your recipe.

    Reply

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